Electric street-car



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- L. H. LEBER.

ELECTRIC STREET OAR. No. 437,210. Patented Sept. 30. 1890.

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L. H. LEBER. ELECTRIC STREET OAR.

No. 437,210. Patented Sept. 30. 1890.

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LUTHER H. LEBER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF TWO- THIRDS TO JOHN L. SWEARER, SAME PLACE, AND DAVID J. RICH- ARDSON, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC S TRE'ET-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 437,210, dated September 30, 1890.

Application filed June 21, 1890. Serial No. 356,205. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER H. LEBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Street-Cars; and I do hereby declarethat the following is a full, clear, and eiiact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in electric street-cars, and more particularly to rheostats therefor; and it has for its object to provide a device whereby the brakes maybe applied by the same means and at the same time that the current is turned off. Heretofore it has been the practice to employ a rheostat and an independent brake mechanism at each end of the car. This, besides adding to the weight to be carried by the car and also to the cost, necessitates the employment of both hands of the operator, one for the brake and the other for the rheostat, and in case of necessity for quick stoppage he is very liable to forget one or the other. I provide mechanism Whereby the two are operated by the same hand and lever, so that as the current is turned oi the brakes must be applied, and vice versa.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in Which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of an electric car equipped with my improvements, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the rheostat, partly in side elevation, with parts broken away and parts in section.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in both views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates an electric streetcar of known construction, except as herein after specified. It is provided at each end preferably to the right of the center so as to be more convenient to the right hand of the operator and allow him to stand centrally upon the platform-with a rheostat B, which is shown best in Fig. 2, wherein Ois the contact plate or points arranged within the cylinder a, near the upper end thereof, and b are the Wires connected therewith, as seen in Fig. 2.

D is the cable, connected with the motor (not shown) in the usual manner. This motor may be located at any desired point on the car.

E is a vertical lever, supported as shown, with its upper end made polygonal or otherwise formed to receive a removable crank or handle 0, by which it is turned when desired. This crank or handle is removable, so as to allow it to be used upon the other end of the car when going in the opposite direction. This lever near its upper end outside the cylinder carries an indicator d, which works over an indicating-scale on the top of the cylinder to indicate when the current is on or off.

F is a contact plate or brush carried by the lever Within the cylinder above the contactpoints and arranged to normally bear thereon, as shown in Fig. 2, and complete the circuit. It is held to the lever by a set-screw e, passed through the sleeve portion of the brush, as shown. The lower end of the lever is screw-threaded, as shown at f, and this screw-threaded portion works in a threaded bearing in the yoke g, secured to the under side of the car in any suitable manner.

G is a drum upon the lower portion of the lever, and to this drum is attached one end of the brake chain or rope H, the other end of V which is connegted to a horizontal rod or bar I, the other end of which is connected to the upper end of the vertical lever J pivoted near its center to some part of the car or truck and at its other end pivotally connected to the brake-shoe K, so that an outward pull upon the upperend of the vertical lever will apply the brake. The two vertical lovers are connected by the diagonal rod or link h, and the upper end of one of them is connected to the brake-shoe of the otherby the diagonal rod or link 2', so that both brakes will be applied simultaneously from either end of the car.

The operation is simple and apparent. Supposing the parts to be in the position in which they are shown in Fig. 2 and it is desired to stop the car, the handle of the lever is turned so as to turn the screw portion of the lever upward, when the brush will be raised from contact with the contact-points of the cylinder, and at the same time and by the same movement the brake-chain will be wound upon its drum, owing to the revolution of the lever, and consequently the brakes willbe applied. A reverse movement of the crank or handle applies the current and releases the brakes.

hat I claim as new is- 1. In an electric car, the combination, with the current-producing devices and the brakes, of a single vertical lever extending through the rheostat-cylinder and connections whereby the current is controlled and the brakes applied by the said single lever, as set forth.

2. In an electric car, the combination, with the brakes and the current-produeing devices, of a vertical lever adapted to be moved vertically as it is rotated and carrying the current making and breaking devices and also the brake-chain, as set forth.

3. In an electric car, the combination, with the brakes and the rheostat-cylinder and its contact-points, of the vertical lever carrying a brush and having its lower end threaded in a screw-threaded bearing and the brakeehain adapted to be wound by the rotation of the lever, as set forth.

4. In an electric car, the combination, with the brakes and the rheostat-cylinder, of the contact-points, the vertical lever carrying the contact-brush and having its lower end screwthreaded and working in a threaded bearing, the drum on the lower end of the lever, and the brake-chain wound upon the said drum, substantially as specified.

5. In an electric car, the combination, with the brakes and the contact-points, of the rotatable and vertically-movable lever, the contact-brush thereon, the index hand on the lever, the drum on the lower end thereof, the brake-chain attached to the drum, and the connections between the two brakes, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed mynamein the presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER II. LEBER.

'Witnesses:

REED B. CoYLE, J. A. GRIER. 

